Cage's _Science of Annihilation_ is what you get when you cross Sabaton's speed, a Manowar penchant for writing cheesy metal songs, and a strong Judas Priest influence -- especially the _Angel of Retribution_ album with its more futuristic feel. Everything from the album name to the lyrics screams, in typical Rob Halford style, that this band wants to cause vast legions of people to gather and chant along to all twelve of these power metal anthems. From "Planet Crusher" till "Science of Annihilation" (not including the filler that is the intro and outro), Cage accelerates to maximum speed and turns on cruise control, as there is no doubt that they are comfortable with the pace they play at.

Epic riffs galore; laced throughout with intense solos and a punishing rhythm section, Cage is well worth a listen even if you're not a huge power metal fan. Even though the fact that the larger-than-life vocals -- a mix of Rob Halford / King Diamond high-pitched banshee wails (see "Power of God" -- bow down Rob) -- and the more "classical" Manowar rumblings are a drawing point to this genre of music, the guitars seriously overwhelm the singer, so instead of battle cries you get the murmurings of someone who has been inhaling helium all afternoon. A real shame, as then you have to go look in the album booklet to read the fantastically power metal cliché lyrics, and that just takes all the fun out of it. Apart from this hiccup, _Science of Annihilation_ provides a dose of NWOBHM crossed with speed metal; doing away with all the chitter chatter filler that Manowar seems to fill their albums up with these days. Cage relies on pure intensity and this makes for a much more coherent album.